10 Steps To Improve Your Sleep

I was once watching an interview with Arianna Huffington who was discussing her reformed sleep patterns. She jokingly stated that to be successful you need to “sleep your way to the top.” As in, to achieve success you need to get adequate sleep. And she is right, sleep is serious business, and we need plenty of it in order to be our healthiest, happiest, and most productive selves.

Sleep is often one of the most overlooked aspects to a healthy life, and unfortunately can be viewed as an “indulgence” or “luxury.”  Sleep, my friends, is not an indulgence or luxury. Sleep is a requirement.

Here is a list, of the very real side effects, of sleep deprivation:

• Associated with obesity and several diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer

• Decreases your carbohydrate tolerance and your insulin sensitivity

• Increases inflammation

• Interferes with the regulation of your thyroid and adrenal hormones

• Impairs judgment, problem-solving, and productivity

• Increases the risk of developing an emotional disorder such as depression or anxiety

• Increases cravings for sweets and starches

• Impaires immune system

What’s interesting is that researchers aren’t 100% sure why we need to sleep, although they know it is dangerous if we don’t. While there are unanswered questions, most researchers understand that it is a combination of needs that make sleep a requirement. The National Institutes of Health published an article in 2013 describing how sleep allows toxins to be flushed from the brain. A fluid, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), flows through the brain and spinal cord allowing the toxins to be flushed out. When we are asleep, the cells in the brain get smaller, allowing for CSF to better flow through the brain, improving its ability to clear out toxins, including the protein beta-amyloid. Scientists have found an association between excessive beta-amyloid in the brain and Alzheimer’s, and is considered a contributor to the disease.

Basically, the point I am trying to make is you need to SLEEP!

HERE ARE 10 TIPS TO HELP YOU SLEEP:

 1. Limit caffeine. This is obvious, but don’t have caffeine after 2pm, which includes dark chocolate and soft drinks. If you want to take this a step further you can kick the caffeine habit altogether, promoting even better sleep. And, if you are sleeping better you won’t feel as though you need the caffeine in the morning. If you are a heavy caffeine drinker start by just slowly decreasing the amount over the course of a month or two instead of quitting cold turkey to avoid withdrawal symptoms like headaches.

2. Establish a schedule. Your body craves a schedule, so develop a regular sleep schedule that you can adhere to. When you develop a routine, your body knows best when to produce hormones that help with sleep and wakefulness, giving you better sleep at night and more energy during the day.

3. Morning light. Get in the sunlight shortly after rising. Exposing your body to sunlight in the morning helps with wakefulness and establishing your circadian rhythm, helping you not only wake up in the morning, but also setting your sleep/wake cycle, helping fall asleep better at bedtime.

4. Limit blue light. Just like being exposed to light in the morning is important, avoiding it at night is just as important. Blue light is often emitted by electronics like your phone, computer and tv. Ideally we would avoid exposure to blue light 2 hours before bedtime. If you’re not ready to disconnect before bed, you can try blue light blocking glasses that do just what the name suggest, blocks the blue light. For your iPhone, you can put it on night shift, making the tones warmer and lessening their effect. For your computer, there are several programs such as F.lux that do the same thing as night shift, and adjust the warmth of the screen depending on the time. Of course, unplugging and opting for a book before bed would still be preferable.

5. Get comfy. Again, this sounds obvious, but make sure your sleeping environment is conducive to sleeping. If you get hot in the middle of the night, start lowering the temperature when you go to bed. Make sure your pillows and sheets are soft and cozy. Also make sure that you have adequate window coverings to keep out any outside light. Don’t have any glowing electronics that could interfere with a dark sleep environment. If you have your phone in your room, make sure it is either in a drawer, or silenced with notifications turned off.

Also, when you are getting ready for bed, make it a pleasurable, and calm experience. Make your bed in the morning so it is like a little present you get to crawl into after a long day, and maybe have a couple of candles and soft lighting while you are getting ready for bed. You can even try out some soothing music and have a cup of chamomile before bed. See what works for you, and what you can make part of your bedtime routine that will help you unwind and promote a relaxed and comfortable night time environment.

6. Get active. Ideally, you will choose the morning to get moving, and preferably do your workout outside, allowing you to also get that morning sun; however, that doesn’t always work with everyone’s schedule and climate. So, workout when and where you can, but avoid doing it a couple hours before bedtime, because it can wind you up and make it difficult to fall asleep.

7. Take care of your mental health. Often, people are staying up at night with stress and anxiety. If you are struggling to fall asleep because of worries, then consider seeing a counselor. Having a professional to talk to and help you work out your problems can help you get to the root if the issue, and allow you a safe place to get out your stress and frustrations, so you don’t have to take it to bed with you. In addition, make sure your diet is rich in fruits and vegetables and low in processed sugars, to promote a healthy microbiome. Also, make sure that you are incorporating omega 3’s into your diet, such as flax or chia seeds daily.

8. Beware of alcohol. Often, people think of alcohol as an assistant to winding down for the day, but it can interfere with your body’s ability to enter into a deep sleep. This is particularly alarming because if you skip deep sleep, you are skipping most of the beneficial aspects of sleep, such as cell regeneration and strengthening of the immune system. Deep sleep is also what allows you to feel rested when you wake. Skipping deep sleep is a big deal, and even just one or two glasses of alcohol can effect that. But, if you are going to be having alcohol, avoid drinking it 3-4 hours before bed.

9. Avoid eating late. Skip the late night snack. For those who suffer from acid reflux, laying flat on your back after a meal can cause indigestion, which obviously interferes with being able to fall asleep. But even if you don’t suffer from reflux, eating a heavy meal, especially one high in fat, can still make it difficult to fall asleep. Try finishing your last meal 3-4 hours before you go to bed, and if you feel like a late night snack, opt for a cup of herbal tea instead. You might want to even try a cup of dandelion root tea, which can help support detoxification.

10. Take a micro dose of melatonin. Taking sleep medication is not ideal. Many medications will knock you out, but still won’t allow you to enter into a deep, restorative sleep. Melatonin however is the natural hormone that one produces to help them fall asleep. Supplementing with melatonin for a short while might help you regulate a sleep pattern. You don’t need much though. Most of the melatonin sold is in a dose between 1-5mg, however your body only needs a tiny bit of melatonin to lull you to sleep, so the 1-5mg dosage is much higher than you actually need. You really only need 0.3 mg of melatonin and I recommend the brand Herbatonin. Again, the goal is not use this long term, but as an aid while you develop healthy sleep patterns, and of course, always discuss with your doctor before adding any supplements.